Abstract

We present a short working distance miniature x-ray emission spectrometer (miniXES) based on the cylindrical von Hamos geometry. We describe the general design principles for the spectrometer and detail a specific implementation that covers Kβ and valence level emission from Fe. Large spatial and angular access to the sample region provides compatibility with environmental chambers, microprobe, and pump/probe measurements. The primary spectrometer structure and optic is plastic, printed using a 3-dimensional rapid-prototype machine. The spectrometer is inexpensive to construct and is portable; it can be quickly set up at any focused beamline with a tunable narrow bandwidth monochromator. The sample clearance is over 27 mm, providing compatibility with a variety of environment chambers. An overview is also given of the calibration and data processing procedures, which are implemented by a multiplatform user-friendly software package. Finally, representative measurements are presented. Background levels are below the level of the Kβ2, 5 valence emission, the weakest diagram line in the system, and photometric analysis of count rates finds that the instrument is performing at the theoretical limit.

Received 19 September 2011Accepted 10 January 2012Published online 08 February 2012

Acknowledgments:

G.T.S. acknowledges support of this research program by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Basic Energy Sciences, under award DE-SC0002194. PNC/XSD facilities at the Advanced Photon Source, and research at these facilities, are supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, Basic Energy Sciences, a major resources support grant from NSERC, the University of Washington, Simon Fraser University, and the Advanced Photon Source. Use of the Advanced Photon Source, an Office of Science User Facility operated for the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science by Argonne National Laboratory, was supported by the U.S. DOE under Contract No. DE-AC02-06CH11357.